Field
This disclosure relates to email addresses, the domain names specified in email addresses and automatically correcting domain names or suggesting likely correct domain names in response to a failed email attempt.
Description of the Related Art
The use of electronic mail or email has become widespread. When an email note is sent, an email address is specified. The email address includes a user name and a domain name separated by an @ symbol. The domain name typically includes a second level portion and a top level portion. The email address is username@secondlevel.toplevel. If the user name or either portion of the domain name is misspelled or is otherwise incorrect, the email is not delivered to the intended recipient. Sometimes this is due to a spelling error. In a commercial setting this could result from a data entry error.
When either the second level domain or the top level domain is spelled incorrectly, the email note is returned undeliverable. Historically, there were a limited number of top level domains such as .edu, .com, .gov, .org and .net. Well known second level domain names paired with the .com top level domain name include gmail.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com and many others. Plus, most companies hold rights to their name in domain name form, such as, for example, google.com, samsung.com, apple.com, microsoft.com, and many others. Top level domains are expanding to include and support common English language words as well as words in other languages. Companies have also acquired rights to use their brand names as top level domains, such as, for example, .google, .hyatt, and .bloomberg, Others have acquired top level domains for groups or marketing purposes, including, for example, .lawyer, .healthcare .hiphop, .money, .review, and many others. The more these new top level domains are used, the more likely there will be typographical or other errors in top level domain names included in email addresses.
When large audience email notes are sent, there are certain numbers of email addresses that are erroneous and result in undeliverable email. On this larger scale, when sent by a commercial enterprise, the numbers of undeliverable email notes result in a not insignificant audience of subscribers, potential customers or clients that do not receive the intended email.